Alarm-clock.



F. S. DENiSON.

ALARM CLOCK.

APPLICATION man Dc.11,1915.

F. S. DENISON.

ALARM CLOCK.

APPLICATION FILED pzc. I7. 1915.

Patented Jan. 22, 1918;

F. S. DENISON.

ALARM CLOCK.

APPLICATION F|LED DEC. 11, 1915.

Patented Jan. 22, 1918.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3- "www UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FREDERICK s. DENIsoN, OF MINNEAPOLIs,` MINNESOTA, AssIeNoR To MINNEAPOLIS AHEAT REGULATOR COMPANY, or MINNEAPOLIS,` MINNESOTA, A CORPORATION.

ALARM-701300K.

Application led December 17, 1915. Serial No. 67,385.

i To all whom zt may concern.'

Be it known that I', FREDERICK S. DENI- soN, citizen of the United States, resident of Minneapolis, county' of Hennepin, State' of Minnesota, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Alarm-Clocks, of which the following is a specification. A Alarm clocks as usually constructed are provided with a release or trip for the alarm operating at a,- predeterminedtime, being reset for operation at a subsequent time. p'

The object of my invention is to provide a clock having an alarm attachment which will operate to sound the alarm at predetermined intervals with one winding for a period corresponding preferably to the 'length of time for which the clock main spring is wound. That is, if the clock requires winding once in eight days, then the alarm attachment will run for eight days,

sounding the alarm for a certain indicated time, or at definite periods each day without further attention.

A further object is to provide an alarm mechanism which may he used in connection with a thermostatic heat regulator.

Other objects of the invention. will appear from the following detailed` description.

The inventionconsists generally in various constructions and combinations, all as' hereinafter described and particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings forming part of this specification,A

Figure 1 is a front view ,of an alarm clock with. the face removed,

Fig. 2 is a sectional view on the line x'- of Fig. 3,

Fig. 3 is a 'vertical sectional view through the clock showing the operating mechanism therefor,

Fig. 4 isra detail sectional View, showing one position of the alarm mechanism.

Fig. '5 is asimilar view,'showing another vposition of the alarm,l j e Fig. 6 is a detail sectional view,jshowing the manner of mounting the operating spring of the alarm,

VF ig. 7 is va similar view, showingthe adjusting mechanism by vmeans of which 4the period of operation of the alarmis controlled,

Fig. 8 is a detail sectional view, showing i the post of the indicator hands and its connection with'the clock main spring,

Fig. 9 is a view of the alarm dial and the lSpecification of Letters Patent. PatentedA J 311-. 22, 1918.

hands `for indicating the desired `period of v voperation of the alarm.-

In the drawing, 2 represents the casing of a clock, having the usual glass face 3 and dial plate 4. 'represents a post mounted in the front and rear plates 6 and 7 of the clock frame-,and having a hub 8 mounted on one end thereof -and provided with a gear 9 which meshes with a pinion l0 on a gear 11 that is supported by a plate 6 and meshes with a pinion 12 that is secured to the post 5. The hub 8 has a pinion 13 secured thereon, and said hub also has a seat for the hour hand 14, the minute hand 15 being mounted on the projecting end of the post 5. A hub 16 is secured| on the post 5 between the plates 6 and 7. A pinion 17 has its hub in fric-v tional'engagement with the hub 16 and is provided with a gear 18 betweenwhich and acollar 19 on said post a spring plate 20 is inserted, and having suflicient tension to hold the pinion 17 andthe hub 16 together with suiiioient pressure to revolve the hub 16 and the post 5 with said pinion, but allowing said post to be rotated independently of the pinion 17 for the purposev of setting the clock hands.

A post 21is/Inounted'in the plates 6 and 7, parallel with the postV 5, andthe clock -maln spring 22 is secured at one end thereto and at its opposite end to' a drum 23 that is provided with teeth 24 at one end to mesh with the teeth of the pinion 17 and drive said pinion. A ratchet Awheel 25 is mounted on the-post21i and provided with a dogv 26 which engages the teeth of the ratchet. The post 21 has the usual sguared end to receive the shank of the winding key. .The gear 18 yis connected to a train of gears 26a with an -escapement 27 and balance vwheel 28, all of ordinary construction. v

I will now proceed to describe in detail the alarm attachment 'of the clock and to `which my invention particularly relates. 29

is a post, fitting within a sleeve 3() that is journaled inthe plates 6 and 7. A "gear 3l is formed on the sleeeve 30l to revolve therewith and a drum 32 is seated against said gear and is provided with a hub ournale'd on the post 29 and on which hub a ratchet 34 is mounted, being secured'by a pin 35 which passes through the ratchet, the hub indicated by dotted lines, a crank maybev and said post. A dog 36 is mounted on the clock frame fory engaging the teeth of the ratchet. A spring 37 is secured vat one end to the sleeve 30 and at its other end to the drum 32 and when the post 29 is revolved, the spring will be wound from the outside, the drum 32 revolving with the post. As

mounted on one end of the sleeve 30 for the purpose of tripping or shifting some independent mechanism, such as the contact posts of a thermostat (not shown). The gear 31 meshes with a pinion of a gear 38 which in turn drives a pinion 39 having an escapement 40. A post 41 carries the pallet 41 of the escapemenlt..

A hammer 42 is mounted on said post and vibrates therewith when the alarm is released to intermittently contact 'with the gong 43 that is secured to the rear face of a shoulder 48 held against the plate 7 by the tension of a disk 49 that is mounted on said sleeve and has a bearing on the plate 6. The sleeve 47 has a flat surface 50 whereon the hub of an annular flange 51 is mountl ed, said flange having a peripheral notch Y, 52 formed therein, and .provided with, an

inclined or cam surface.

The spring 45 has an opening 53 therein to receive the sleeve 47 and the. hub of the flange51, and the tension of said spring normally forces said xhub outwardly onsaid' sleeve. A post. 54 is mounted-in said sleeve and is lprovided with an annular rib 55 against which the sleeve 47 is seated, and a gear 56 isloosely mounted on said post and is provided with a pin 57 to bear on the edge of the flange 51. A flange 58 has its hub fixed on the post 54 and is provided with a peripheral notch 59 having an inclined surface corresponding'to the one described with reference-tothe flange 51, the edge of said flange 58 being in position on the opposite .side of the gear wheel 56 from the flange 51 i to contact with the' opposite end lof v the pin 57. Y p

The end of the post 54 is mounted "in a plate 60 that is carried by the. frame of the vclock and a springdisk 461 is mounted on said post `and is seated on said `plate with sufficient pressure to hold the parts against premature movement. vThe opposite ends of the sleeve 47 and the post 54 project through a dial 62 that is graduated to-indi-y cate the hours of the day, and also preferably has the A'. M. and 1). M. letters thereon.

The end of the sleeve 47 is eXteriorly threaded and provided with a finger grip 63 and a lock nut 64l for securing it on the sleeve, an indicator hand 65 being interposed between the finger grip 63 and a shoulder on the sleeve. 4

The outer end of the post 54 s exteriorly threaded to receive a finger grip 66 and a lock nut 67, a hand 68 being secured between f the finger grip 66v and a shoulder formed on the post. This construction permits the sleeve and the post to be revolved independently of one another for the purpose of setting the indicator hands opposite the desired figures on the dial.

The gear 56 meshes with the wide faced pinion 13 (see Figs. 7 and 8) and is revolved thereby, independently of the sleeve y47 and the post 54 during the normal operation of the timepiece. As this gear revolves, the pin 57 will slide on the peripheries of the flanges 51 and 52 and at apredetermined point in its travel will vdrop into the notch in one of ,these flanges; if the sleeve 47 should be set in theposition to allow the pin to drop into the notch in the flange 51, the: spring. 45 would immediately be released and slidethe flange 51 outwardly on the spring 45 andy withdraw the pin 46 from its locki@ position with respect to the arm 44 and permit the alarm mechanism to operate andthe hammer to vibrate and ring the gong.

If the flange 58 should be set `in position so that its recess 59 would first receive the pin 57, then the pressure of the spring 45 would slide the flange 5l and the gear 56 outwardly on the post 54, the face of the pinion 13.being sufficiently lwide to allow the gear 56 to slide back and forth on the post 54 and' still remain inmesh with `the teeth ofthe pinion.

The flanges 51 and 58 may be revolved independently of one another through the.

rotationlof the sleeve 47 and the post 54 and consequently the notches in these flanges mkay be located in different 4positions with respectto one another to vary the period of release of theV spring 45 and the alarm mechanism. and'ialso change the interval between these periods. The alarm mechanism and release provides for two operations in llO twenty-four hours, Aand adjustment of the v vindicator handspermitting any desired interval between the operations, and, if desired, the indicator hands may be adjusted directly opposite 'one another, so that the notches in the flanges 51 andv 58 will register with one another and the pin 57 will'dropy into one of these notches and permit a single fperation of the alarm.

A bar .69 has a slot 70therein to-receive `a pin 71 on the plate 7 and also has a slot bar in position to be engaged by a similar lug 76 on the gear 31. A pin 77 -is mounted in the spring 45 and slidable in the plate 6 and a guide 78 and' engages the bar 69 and normally holds it outwardly against the tension of a spring 79, so that the lug 75 will be out of the path of the lug 76 anda spring 80 is mounted to engage one end of the bar 69 andhold it at the limit of its longitudinal movementin one direction, the bar sliding oln the pins l and 73 to the ends of the s ot 72. I

When the pressureof the pin 77'is withdrawn by the release of the spring 45, the' spring 79 will move the bar 69 inwardly and the lug 76, engaging the lug 75, will move said bar lengthwise against the tension of the spring 80 until the end 74 is in the pathy of the arm 44 to arrest the vibration thereof and check the-alarm.

4I prefer to provide two of the lugs 76 upon opposite sides of the center ofthe gear wheel 31, so that the bar 69 will be operated twice with eachy complete revolution of the gear. As shown in Fig. 5, the pin 57 will have entered one of the notches and will begin to climb the inclined face thereof about the time that one of the lugs 76 engages the lug 75 to move the bar 69- and the end 74 into the path of the vibrating arm 44.

' During the interval between the entranceV of the pin 57 into one of the notches and the adjustment of the end 74, the gong will be vibrated to ring the alarm. As soon j i ment with each other at'a predetermined as the end 74 engages the vibrating arm, the alarm will be checked and as the pin 57 rides up the inclined face of av flange, the spring 45 will be pressed inwardlyA and the pin 77, engaging the bar 69, will forceit outwardly anddisengage the lugs 75 and 76, and the spring 80 will move the bar lengthwise suiciently to disengage the end 74 from the vibrating arm and at the same, time the interval, drop into the opposite notch and againl release the` alarm without the necessityof winding the alarm or setting it after the first operation. The' alarm will be operated for a brief period only andl under normal conditions will run for the `same period as the time piece does.

As heretofore intimated, if desired the notched flanges may be set directly oppositel one another, so that only one operation of the alarm will occur during the complete revolution of the clock hands.

In various ways the details of construction herein shown and .described may be modified and still be within 'the scope of my invention.

I claim as my invention:

1. An alarm clock comprising a time mechanism, an alarm attachment including agear driven from said time mechanism, a pin mounted therein, flanges .disposed upon oppositel sides of 'said'gear and having notches therein and cam surfaces to receive said pin at predetermined intervals, and means becoming operative when said pin enters either of said notches to release said alarm attachment. V

2. A clock comprising a time mechanism,- an alarm attachment, a gear driven by said time mechanism, means having cam surfaces mounted at opposite sidesof the said gear,

. for relative movement with respect to said gear, and a device having means for normally checking the operation of said alarm attachment but releasing it at predetermined times through the relative movement of said time to shift the bar and bring it into the path of movement of the arm of the hammer shaft to check the vibration of the hammer. l l,

4. An alarm clock comprising a time mechanism, an'alarm attachment including a vibratable hammer, concentric members revoluble independently of each other,'indi cator hands mounted on said members, a

' dial, a cdntinuously rotatable gear mounted to freely revolve on one ofv said members and driven from the time mechanism, alarm setting devices associated one with each of said concentrically disposed members and coacting with said'co'ntinuouslyrotating Agear to fix a predetermined time for sounding the alarm, and a spring carrying a member to control the movement of the vibratable hammer andjconnected with the alarm setting devicesto be under the control thereof.

45. An alarm clock comprising a time mechanism, an alarm attachment including a vibratable hammer, concentric members revcluble independently of each other, indiy sa cntor hands mounted on said members, a

dial, a gear mounted to freely revolve Aon one of said members, alarm setting devices associated one with each of said concen.

able hammer and connected With the alarm l 10 setting devices to be under-the control theref and means. for'rendering said second men- .of, a second hammer controlling member, Y

-tioned member active to restrain the Inovel ment of the vibratable hammer when free from restraint by the first mentioned controlling member.

In Witness whereof, l have hereunto set my hand this 11th dayof December 191.5.

FREDERICK S. DENISON. 

